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Jazz point guard Mo Williams will have a pin in his thumb removed Wednesday in New York City, the next step in his effort to return from Jan. 4 surgery to repair a torn ligament.

He suffered the tear Dec. 22 at Miami.

The pin is in place to hold the ligament to the bone. Williams' thumb has been in a splint for the six weeks since the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson, a hand specialist who performed the same surgery on Williams in 2008, when he played for Milwaukee.

Williams will begin rehabbing the thumb immediately, but no timeline for his return to action has been made known.

Williams has missed 24 games with this injury, and 28 overall. The Jazz are 17-11 without him. The veteran, acquired in an offseason trade with the Clippers, averaged 12.9 points and a career-high 6.7 assists in 24 games.